Blade-sharpening and honing device



June 23, 1942. s. P. McD QNNELL 2,287,317

BLAD E-SHARPENING AND HON ING DEVICE Filed June 25, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Inventor Attorney June 23, 1942.

S P. M DONNELL BLADE-SHARPENING- AND HONING DEVICE I Filed Jun 25; 19412 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventof -3te;akefz7iajz7zdl.

Attomey Patented June 23, 1942 UNITED STATES PATNT QFFICEBLADE-SHARPENING AND HONING DEVICE Stephen P. McDonnell, St. Cloud,Minn. Application 'June 25, 1941, Serial No. 399,712

3 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for sharpening and honing blades, andmore particularly to such devices as are particularly designed forsharpening and honing safety razor blades 01 both the single anddouble-edge types.

The invention together with its objects and advantages will be bestunderstood from a study of the following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a blade honing and stropping deviceembodying the features of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the device takensubstantially on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the device takenadjacent one end of the latter.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line4-4 of Figure l, and

Figure 5 is a plan view of a blade holder embodying the features of thepresent invention.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, it Will be seen that thedevice embodies a frame of metal or other suitable material having theopposed sides 11 supporting therebetween an elongated substantiallyhollow honing block 9 the opposite end portions of which terminate shortof the ends of the side members 1 and are rounded as at It).

The member 9 may be formed of any suitable abrasive material and issecured at its opposite longitudinal edges to the sides I in anysuitable manner.

When the device is used for stropping, a strop 6 is secured about thehoning block or member 9 as shown, the strop 6 being provided withsuitable buckle means 611 for securing it in position on the honingblock or'body member 9.

Above the top surface of the honing block or body member 9, the sides 1are provided with longitudinal slots 8 that in length slightly exceedthe length of the honing block 9 as shown in Figure 2.

Also in accordance with the present invention there is provided a bladeholder, indicated generally by the reference numeral H.

The blade holder II is provided with a bifurcated frame member l2 havingends 13 provided with openings through which extends a rod I4. The rod Mhas rounded ends accommodated in the slots 8 and on one of said roundedends is a ratchet wheel 4 while on the opposite end of the rod is adouble-armed lever l5.

Intermediate the ends thereof, the rod l4 has extending therefromblade-accommodating and retaining studs l6, and between the studs I6 isprovided with a threaded socket to accommodate a retaining bolt I! thatcoacts with a retaining bar 19 that bridges the space between the studsl6 for holding a razor blade l8 in fixed position on the bar Hi torotate therewith.

Acting on the rod 14 for rotating the same in a direction to yieldably,and under pressure, urge an edge of the blade l8 into engagement withthe honing member 9, or strop 5, as the case may be, there are providedcoil springs 2!; each coil spring having one end thereof suitablysecured to the rod M and an opposite end thereof suitably engaged withthe extremity I3 of the frame member l2.

Further the blade holderembodies a handle 23 provided for manualreciprocation of the blade holder.

For rotating the rod l4 and blade 19 associated therewith, a quarter ofa turn, as the blade holder approaches one end of the device, and theedge of the blade being sharpened clears the hone 9, whereby to effect asharpening of the opposite edge of the blade, there is pivoted to one ofthe side members I of the frame, at one end of the frame a trip bar 21.This bar 2'! is pivoted to said side member I as at 28 and is normallysupported in a horizontal position through the medium of a stop pin 29projecting from said side member 1 in the path of the free end of thebar 21 as shown in Figure 3.

Adjacent said free end the bar 21 is provided with a lug 39 that isnormally in the path of the double-armed head l5. It will thus be seenthat as the blade holder with the blade mounted therein clears therounded end of the hone 9 at the left-hand end of the device as viewedin Figure 1, an arm of the head I5 will engage the lug 30 causing therod I4 to rotate a quarter of a turn for bringing the opposite edge ofthe blade in position to engage the surface of the honing member 9, orthe strop 6, as the case may be, with the springs 2| then acting toyieldably retain said edge of the blade in engagement with thesharpening surface as the blade holder is then moved lengthwise of thedevice towards the right in Figure 2.

As the blade holder moves to the right in Figure 2, the blade thereonwill clear the right-hand end of the hone 9, and to rotate the rod I4and associated blade a full half-turn to present an edge of the blade,at the opposite side of the blade, for contact with the sharpeningsurface, there is pivoted on the opposite frame member l at the righthand end of the device, and as indicated at 24, a rack bar 25 that isnormally supported in horizontal position through the medium of a stoppin 26.

Obviously the rack wheel 4 will coast with the rack bar 25 for rotatingthe rod l4 its required one-half turn.

In Figure 2 the parts are shown with the blade holder 23 being movedtowards the right-hand end of Figure 2.

From the foregoing it will be seen that in sharpening or honing theblade, the device is so operated that first one edge of the blade at oneside of the blade is sharpened, and then on the return stroke theopposite edge of the blade on the same side is sharpened. When thesharpening of the edges on the corresponding sides has been completedthe blade-holding rod I 4 is rotated a half-turn so that by repeatingthe operation first one edge and then the opposite edge of the blade, onthe second side thereof, is sharpened or honed as the case may be,depending upon whether the honing block 9 or the strop 6 is used.

The above description of operation has, of course, been in connectionwith the stropping or honing of double-edged. blades. Substantially thesame operation is performed in sharpening or honing a single-edged bladewith the exception that under such circumstances, the function of theratchet wheel 4 is omitted and, of course, a suitable type of holderwill be provided for and used in the sharpening of a single-edged blade.

Accordingly, while I have herein illustrated and described what isconsidered by me to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, I amwell aware that the details of construction herein illustrated may bealtered as the use of the device in practical fields may require, andthat such alterations should come within the scope of what is claimed.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. In a blade honing and stropping device, a frame embodying a pair ofopposed parallel side members, a, sharpening element supported betweensaid side members, a blade holder movable longitudinally of said frameand embodying a rotatable blade-carrying rod having ends thereofengaging in slots provided longitudinally of said sides of the frame, adouble-ended head on one end of said rod, a trip bar on the frame in thepath of the head for effecting a quarter of a, turn of said rod, a gearon the other end of said rod,

and a rack bar on the other of the sides of said frame at the endthereof opposite to the firstnamed end of the frame and disposed in thepath of the gear for effecting a one-half revolution of said rod.

2. In a blade honing and stropping device, a frame embodying a pair ofopposed parallel side members, a sharpening element supported betweensaid side members, a, blade holder movable longitudinally of said frameand embodying a rotatable blade-carrying rod having ends thereofengaging in slots provided longitudinally of said sides of the frame, adouble-ended head on one end of said rod, a trip bar on the frame in thepath of the head for effecting a quarter of a turn of said rod, a gearon the other end of said rod, and a rack bar on the other of the sidesof said frame at the end thereof opposite to the firstnamed end of theframe and disposed in the path of the gear for effecting a one-halfrevolution of said rod; said abrasive body having its respectiveopposite ends terminating short of the ends of said sides of the frameand being rounded to facilitate turning movement of the bladecarryingrod.

3. In a blade stropping and honing device, a frame embodying a pair ofopposed spaced parallel side members, an elongated abrasive membersupported between the sides of said frame and at its respective oppositeends being rounded and terminating short of the ends of said sidemembers of the frame, a strop trained about said abrasive body andsecured at its ends at the underside of said abrasive body, said sideshaving slots elongated longitudinally thereof, a blade holder movablelongitudinally of the frame and embodying a, blade-carrying rod havingits respective opposite ends engaging said slots, a double-armed head onone end of said rod, a trip bar pivotally mounted on one of said sidemembers adjacent one end of the frame and cooperable with saiddouble-armed head for effecting a quarter of a turn of theblade-carrying rod as the blade holder and blade associated therewithclears one end of the abrasive body, a rack wheel on the opposite end ofsaid blade-carrying rod, and a rack bar pivoted on the other of saidside members of the frame at the end of the frame opposite to thefirst-named end thereof and coacting with said rack wheel for effectinga half-revolution of said blade-carrying rod when the blade holder andassociated blade clears the corresponding end of said abrasive body.

STEPHEN P. MICDONNELL.

